Homeowners Associations, this brings all kinds of thoughts to peoples minds.
This is a love hate relationship. Homeowner associations were created to protect property values, to create a control element for construction size, shapes and colors. This helped to insure nothing would be produced to large, to small or later be painted in a color to hurt property values of other home owners. These little communities of rules gave a uniform instruction guide for all residents to follow. Some associations had more rules than others.
The love part was maintaining the look, the feel, the value for each resident. This can be in free standing condo type setting or single family residences. These rules offer security in the knowledge that the little slice of heaven the owner calls home will remain "as is" unless the board or majority of the residents want something to change.
The hate part was for some resident they found the rules to confining. The rule vary but in many cases only certain days can a trash can be left out. Cars may not be parked outside or the garage door left open more than an hour. No for sale signs may be used if you are selling your property or condo....how do people find out yours is for sale? Many times if you are in a gated community a potential buyer can not drive by either. Some like this feature other hate it.
You can only paint your little abode with approved colors. You can only plant approved trees or plant types or bushes. Fences are allow with approval or never allowed depending on the rules. You may have to maintain some areas of your property and not others, depending on the rules.
You may be hit with special assessments for something you could care less about. If you use the community pool then resurfacing the pool would be fine. On the other hand if you never used the pool you would have very little support for the resurfacing assessment.
I have lived in both and found them to be good and bad. The fact remains you have choices so find out what the rules are and read them "BEFORE" you purchase. After you have purchased and decide the rules are not what you thought it is simply to "late".
I have a little policy....read before you leap, that first step can be a killer if you do not know the rules. Most associations have to be notified when you sell and the new buyer also has to initial or sign the association documents before close. Read them....you will be glad you did. I make all my clients initial the association rules and provide a personal copy for them.
I hope this gives you a better understandingof the why and how you can love and hate aassociations.
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